Chained Melody
by LightandDarkHeart
Summary: A Crimson Eye. A golden Pendant. A Chain Tattoo. The sound of screams and roses. This was all that was left for Alexa Montgomery as a child. When she and her sister, Emma, are thrown into a strange place called the Abyss, she meets an even stranger cast of characters. Do they hold the keys to her lost memory? And what exactly is her "Sin"? OCxGil, OCxBreak Rated T, just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**hi there! thanks for clicking on Chained Melody! this is my first try at a Pandora Hearts fanfic, but i hope you like it. i love hearing feedback, but please be sure to keep it civil. enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pandora Hearts. If I did, certain characters *cough*Eliot*cough* wouldn't have died. I just own the OCs.**

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Chapter 1: I See a Sea of Red…

_ At first there was nothing. Nothing but darkness. Light, sound, space; all non-existent in the vast emptiness of the void. It was omnipresent, all-powerful, and suffocating. But there was one thing that competed for dominance of the void with the overpowering darkness._

_ Smell. The smell of something foul, coppery and stomach-turning. And it was nearly everywhere._

_ The wretched scent of blood was horrifying. It forced its way into the nose and permeated both clothing and skin as if they were nothing._

_ Then through the darkness burst light, fierce flames spanning all until everything was engulfed by the inferno. Intense heat and the smell of searing flesh replaced the scent of blood as screams filled the air. Howls of the anguished cried out like the screams of a thousand souls tortured in the deepest bowels of Hell. They would not be silenced and they would be heard._

_ Perhaps this was Hell; where else would there be so much pain and suffering, fire and lamentation? Surely there was no other place where such despair could be found._

_ Labored breaths could barely be heard over the cries of torment as a small child raced through the fire. Its body was torn and broken, crimson blood dirtying the fair hair hanging loose around its head. Eyes glazed and dulled stared sightlessly ahead as the child scrambled to run._

_ Run, run, must run away. Away from the screams and the fire and the pain. But, oh, how it hurt. Why did it hurt, again? What was the source? The child could not tell. Its mind was so focused on flight that it could not comprehend anything else. _

"_What would you give to be free?" A voice asked over the din. "Would you give anything to rid yourself of this nightmare?"_

"_Y-Yes!" the child panted, voice coming out in hoarse shouts. "I…I will give anything! J-Just make it end!"_

_ The voice chuckled and the fire disappeared, collapsing in on itself as if it were placed in a vacuum, and the darkness came once more. However, this time there was one, single solitary light. _

_ A lone, crimson glow in the darkness. A blood red eye._

"_Then do this for me, and I will set you free." The voice said. "I will take you away from this horror, this hell. But you must do something for me first…"_

_ A crimson eye._

_ An old promise._

_ One gold pendant._

…

"ALEXA!"

A young woman jolted up in her seat, wide-eyed from fight and a slight sweat across her face. Hair hung haphazardly in a delicately-featured face dominated by a pair of lovely green eyes, emerald green framed by long golden lashes. A scream lodged in her throat as she looked around.

She jumped when a hand clamped down on her shoulder, this time the scream releasing as a startled gurgle.

"Lexie, it's just me! It's Emma!"

Another young woman leaned down, peering concerned into the fearful face of her friend. Emmaline Montgomery was a small woman, with a slender body that many compared (foolishly) to a china doll. Short brown hair framed a rounded face with impish features like dark blue eyes and freckles and a thin-lipped but flexible mouth. Right now, that mouth was turned down into a startled frown as she jerked her hand back, using the other to catch a pair of thin-rimmed glasses before they fell off the end of her nose.

"God, Lexie!' Emma cried. "Are you okay? You scared the hell out of me, moaning and mumbling like that."

The woman in question let out a shaky breath, running a hand through her corn-yellow, side-swept bangs. The rest of her hair lay tightly secured in a neat braid, traveling over her shoulder and stopping at her stomach. Already fair-skinned, she looked even paler as she tried to slow her breathing and heartbeat, which was pounding against her ribs.

Alexa Montgomery shook her head, holding her hands up.

"I'm fine, Emma, really." She said. "Just a…It was just a dream."

Emma frowned and placed her hands on her hips.

"Must have been one helluva dream then," she said with a dry smirk. "You knocked Bill over you know?"

Alexa blinked before turning her head, casting a less-than-amused stare at Bill. The stuffed toy lizard had fallen from his usual perch on her desk and now lay in the trash basket, tail-first in a wad of old bubble gum. Gross.

"Sorry Bill…" Alexa pulled the old toy out from the trash and worked on picking the gum off of his tail. Just her luck, it was really stuck on there. She made a mental note to throw him in the wash later; when she went down to do laundry.

"Penny for your thoughts, Blondie." Emma sat down on her room mate's bed, crossing her legs under her and setting her head in her hands. "That was no normal dream, even by your standards."

Alexa leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, toying with the end of her braid.

"I'm not sure…" she said slowly. "I don't know what to make of it…Fire and screaming and…the smell of something foul."

"Maybe it had to do with Mr. Michelson's lecture yesterday on the fires? That video of his wasn't exactly comforting." Alexa shook her head.

"I don't think so. I don't know. Maybe Jay's famous 'End-of-the-Month Bean Dip' was responsible. Oh well…hey, weren't we going to the library later?"

Emma nodded, remembering the plans they had made days before. With exams coming up, the two college students were preparing for one of their infamous, night-long cram sessions. The current plan was sneaking into the library after closing, grabbing the books they needed, and holing themselves up in one of the restrooms. Not their smartest of plans, but it got the job done well enough.

"I've got the energy drinks. Do you have music and snacks?" Alexa nodded and continued to stare at the ceiling.

The dream had been so real, the fire and screaming. She couldn't get the sounds of the screams out of her head. Or the smell.

Alexa had never liked the sight or smell of blood. Ever since she was a child, it terrified her. She could handle small amounts of it and keep her cool. But any large amount of the substance and she would faint, which is why the blonde stayed away from the medical professions and slasher films.

But that wasn't what bothered her the most, strangely.

What was the meaning behind that eye? Why did thinking about one, solitary red eye making her head swim so much?

_ I swear I know it from somewhere,_ she thought. _But where?_

It was one of those times where she wished she didn't have amnesia. Where she could remember what happened to her before age seven. Even at 23, Alexa wished she could remember more. Vague impressions of feelings and senses didn't count. She wanted more. She wanted to know what her past was like, what her real parents were like. Did she have siblings? Childhood friends? It angered her that she couldn't remember.

"Come on, Lex." Emma's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "The library should be closing soon, so we should get going."

Nodding, Alexa got up and straightened her clothes. The erratic movements from her nightmare had caused the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing to go askew, sleeves pushed up to her elbows and stomach showing, revealing her tattoos. Her pendant had also worked its way out from under her collar. A quick fix had everything back in order and she grabbed her coat and bag, making sure she had her house keys and cell phone.

"Let's go."

…

"Hey, could you pass me the criminal psychology book?" Emma asked as she chugged down a sports drink. Alexa sifted through the pile of books next to her, juggling a cup of coffee and a stack of literature notes. Once she found the book in question, Alexa tossed it towards Emma, smirking at the way it flopped onto the bag of chips the brunette had been eating. Emma frowned as a cloud of crumbs shot up in the air, covering her glasses with a film of neon orange dust.

"Gee, thanks a lot Lexie…" she grumbled.

"My pleasure." Alexa laughed as her best friend and sister wiped off the dirtied glasses.

The two women were now hiding out in the second floor women's restroom of the library. Emma was sitting cross-legged up on the sink, surrounded by psychology books, notes, and empty food containers and drink cans. Amazingly, the brunette was somehow balancing a textbook on her knee, a notebook in hand, glasses on the tip of her nose, and a bag of pretzels on her head. Alexa was always amazed at how her old friend had been able to do such things.

Speaking of which, Alexa was currently sitting on the floor, surrounded by nineteenth century European literature. Never once had the blonde regretted the choice of taking one of the more reading-heavy literature classes, and she certainly wasn't going to start now.

Alexa loved books. She always had. There was something so comforting about holding a bound book in her hands, turning the pages, smelling the scent of ink and paper. It was her greatest comfort, or, at least one of them.

"What time is it?' Emma asked.

"2:38." Alexa answered, slipping her pocket watch out from her coat pocket. Emma snickered.

"Why don't you just get a normal wristwatch instead of that old thing?" Alexa rolled her eyes.

"I've told you before, Em. I like pocket watches better. They just feel right."

"Okay, sure…Old lady."

Alexa was about to let loose some snarky retort when the lights flickered. Glancing up sharply, Alexa grumbled about poorly maintained fluorescents when the light bulbs above the heads suddenly shattered. Emma screamed in surprise as she and Alexa ducked their heads and shut their eyes.

"What the hell?!" Emma cursed. "What just happened?"

"The lights went out." Alexa pointed out bluntly. "Or should I say exploded?"

The blonde fumbled for her cell phone, using its backlight as a flashlight as she brushed glass shards from her hair. It didn't look like she had gotten any injuries…

"Wonder if that's supposed to be some sorta sign or something?" Emma wondered, carefully getting down from the sink. "At any rate, we should probably put these books back and head home. Who knows what else might blow up, you know?"

Alexa nodded and quickly grabbed her things. She did not know why, but she was getting a strange feeling in her stomach.

The two left the restroom in a hurry and noticed a sudden drop in temperature immediately. Emma grunted as she saw her breath come out in a vaporous cloud and Alexa felt an icy tingle in her fingertips.

Even underneath her wool coat and long sleeves, she could feel the hairs on her arms begin to stand on end. A slight buzzing rang dimly in her ears and the anxious feeling in her stomach turned into a brick. Something was definitely not right.

"We should go…" Emma nodded.

"Right."

"Leaving so soon?"

The two Montgomery girls stiffened at the new voice, ringing loud and clear in the silence of the library. The voice, deep and masculine, had an eerie note to it that made Alexa's heartbeat speed up and her hands clench. When she heard something rustle, she and Emma whirled around, facing the information desk just a few feet away from them.

Sitting on the desk, under the luminous glow of the moonlight, was a figure shrouded in a cloak. It billowed out with rich, velvety folds of bright crimson, trimmed with gold and held together at the neck by an intricate brooch. Even in the dark, Alexa could make out a small pocket watch worked into the brooch, and a pair of glittering dark eyes peering out from deep within the hood. Instinctively, she took a step back.

"Yes, we were just leaving." Emma said calmly, her face an unreadable mask. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

The figure in red chuckled, his deep voice echoing within the vast library. It was enough to send shivers down Alexa's spine. She didn't know about Emma, but she felt the urge to leave. Now. Every instinct she had was screaming to flee.

"Actually, it was the other young lady I was hoping to see." The figure pointed a long, gloved finger at Alexa. "What do you say, my dear? May I have just a few moments of your time?"

Despite the polite and soothing tone of the stranger's voice, Alexa stiffened even further. Gulping, she shook her head slightly.

"I'm…I'm sorry, but my sister and really should go. Maybe some other time…" Alexa jolted as a glittering object shot past her head, so close that she felt her bangs stir as it sailed past her ear. There was a solid thunk, but she did not need to turn around to see it. A plain, but razor sharp throwing knife was now embedded within a post.

"What the fucking hell…?" Emma shouted as she dropped to the ground, dragging Alexa with her as more knives whizzed by. The figure in red laughed with amusement.

"Oh, you can't leave now! The fun's only begun!" he shouted. "After all, what kind of party would it be if I did not come back with the guest of honor?"

The man jumped from his seat and made his way towards the two women. Emma scrambled back, grabbing one of the fallen knives and holding it out.

"Stay away from us you maniac!" she ordered. The figure laughed once more, and Alexa grit her teeth.

She'd be damned if she was just going to let this happen. Or let some psycho near her sister. Fingers clutched the spine of a particularly heavy book as her arm reeled back.

"Run!" Alexa shot up and hurled the book, grabbing Emma arm and dragging the brunette to her feet. The two made a mad dash for the staircase as the book smashed into the figure's head, nearly knocking down his hood but producing a displeased curse.

"Why does this freak want you? What did you do, Alexa?!" Emma shouted.

"As if I knew!" Alexa retorted. "I've never seen nor heard this guy before. Just keep running!"

The blonde pumped her legs as she dashed towards the large stairway connecting all four floors of the library. It was large, made of oak, and twisted in a spiral. The sound of footsteps behind her spurred Alexa on and she shoved Emma down the steps as quickly as she could.

"Come on, come on, come on!" she shouted. "Move it, Em! Move!"

"I'm going, I'm going! You try getting shoved down a spiral staircase in heeled boots! Trust me, Sis, it ain't easy!" Emma snarled.

"Now, now, ladies…You shouldn't fight in such a way…"

Letting out a shriek, Emma stumbled, the heel of her boot snapping from the old, second-hand leather cowgirl boots. Her ankle twisted under her and she fell, tumbling down the steps.

"Emmaline!" Alexa hurled herself down the stairs, sliding to a stop next to her battered sister. Emma moaned as she held her head and besides from some bumps and a bleeding lip, she seemed alright.

"Oh my…Now that was a nasty fall, yes?" Alexa jolted, clutching her sister close.

The figure walked down the steps towards her, the folds of his cloak billowing out gracefully as he neared.

"Now then, my dear Alexa…Are you ready to cooperate?" He held out a hand imploringly. The blonde bristled and clutched her friend closer.

"What do you want with me?" she demanded.

"Why, is that really what you have to say after all these years?" The figure's head tilted and Alexa could see an amused smile forming on his mouth. "_We_ have spent a long time looking for you, my darling. It's time to come back, dear…"

He continued forward, pulling off a single white glove.

Take her back? Back to where? Did this guy know where she had come from? Alexa's head pounded as the thought crossed her mind. Pain lashed through her skull and one hand flew to her temple. An image of red—so much red—flashed though her mind. And screaming, so much screaming! No. she didn't want to remember because of some guy like this.

"Have you really forgotten us?" Alexa felt gentle fingers cup her chin and tilt her head up. Alexa froze as she saw a pair of dark eyes stare back at her, caught in their gaze like a deer in headlights. There was something strange about them, something almost hypnotic. All thoughts fled her mind as she watched; not noticing how the stranger's fingers gently stroked her cheek. She…Did she know those eyes?

"Alexa…Lexie, snap out of it please…" Emma's moans reached her ears and Alexa blinked, her mind instantly clear. Jolting back, she slapped the hands that held her face away. The figure sighed.

"I suppose you did. What a shame, my darling…But it can't be helped. I knew it couldn't, yet I had thought that some part of the old you would still be in there…" The figure stood up, but did not leave. "Orders are orders, I suppose. I have no choice now…"

Before Alexa could move, the figure's hands lashed out, gripping her arms forcibly and bringing out a cry of pain. Those hands that were gentle a moment ago were now like iron, biting into her skin.

"Alexa Montgomery, I now pass judgment upon you. For your sins, I cast you into the void of the Abyss, to wander around for all time…"

As he spoke, a strange energy whipped up around them, creating a gale of wind that whipped Alexa's hair as her eyes widened fearfully. She struggled vainly to free herself, not only for her but for Emma, who lay helpless in her lap. Strange, black chains burst from the ground and wrapped themselves like snakes around Alexa's body, burning like fire. She screamed in pain as she and Emma were pulled down, into the floor as darkness closed in on them.

"No!"

"Your sin, my sweet," the cloaked stranger said mournfully. "Your Sin is…Your Memory."

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**so yay? nay? let me know what you think, kay? thought i'd try my hand at this and see how it goes so i want to know what you all think. oh, and i should mention, the Baskerville here is an OC.**

**thanks for reading! BYE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Happy New Years, everyone!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pandora Hearts. But I DO own the Ocs, so at least that's something. right?**

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Chapter 2: Welcome to the Abyss.

There was a song. A soothing, sweet music box melody that sang clear though the vast nothingness. It was a little sad, but the tune echoed pleasantly in her heart. Almost like a long lost friend.

_ It feels…familiar. Do I know this melody?_

"_What do you think, Little Lexie? Big Brother really outdid himself this time, huh?"_

_ Big…Brother?_

"Alexa? Alexa!" A voice called out, dragging her out of the void. "Oi! Wake up, Dorothy! We ain't in Kansas anymore!"

Although her eye lids were heavy, Alexa labored to raise them. She blinked slowly. Her head hurt, her arms hurt, her everything hurt. She lifted a hand to her forehead, wincing when she came in contact with a tender bruise just above her eye. From gentle probing, nothing felt broken, just sore. Did she fall on something?

She remembered studying at the library with Emma and…!

The library. The man in the crimson cloak. The knives, Emma falling, the chains pulling her and her sister in—!

"Emma!" Alexa lurched up, eyes searching desperately for the brunette. Emma, who was sitting next to her, grasped her shoulders and shook her gently.

"I'm right here, Lexie, I'm right here." Emma said soothingly. Her clothes were a disaster, ripped and torn in multiple places and covered with dirt and grime. Her hair was a mess and she had a shallow cut across her cheek, crusted with dried blood. One of the lenses in her glasses was cracked.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Emma chuckled and flexed her arms.

"I'll be fine." She said. "I'm much stronger than I look, remember? But that aside," The brunette pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. "Where are we?"

As Alexa looked around, the first thing she noticed was a lack of a sky. There was _something_ up there, but it was far from a blue sky. It reminded Alexa of a dome, black and cutting off all natural light. Only, there was light, at least enough for her to clearly see her surroundings. And if the "sky" was strange, everything else was utter nonsense.

Broken bits of buildings dotted the landscape, some standing on edge of sitting on a corner, defying gravity. The ground, if you could call it that, was simply dark water and Alexa wondered how she was standing on the surface without sinking. But other objects, from more rubble to giant stuffed animals, floated in the water, casting ripples out into oblivion. And strangest of all were the items floating in thin air. Tables, chairs, toys and books; items of all shapes and sizes floating aimlessly as if they weighed nothing at all. It was…perplexing.

"This can't be happening…" she whispered. "But how…?"

"_For your sins, I cast you into the void of the Abyss, to wander around for all time…"_

The Abyss? Was that where they were? Did the man in the cloak do this? Alexa grit her teeth as she looked down at the water, catching her reflection in its surface.

Her face was slightly bruised in some places and cut in others. Her hair had escaped its neat braid and hung in a wild mess around her face. Her clothes were in just as sorry of a state as Emma's. Her shirt had at least three large holes in it and part of her left sleeve was missing, revealing the black chains tattooed around her arm. Her jacket was also missing, and she had lost one of her black ballet-flats.

"I would have said so too," Emma agreed. "If I didn't feel so shitty right now. Man, this is worse than any hangover…"

The brunette was sitting cross-legged in the water, glancing dryly at her surroundings. A sturdy wooden pole lay between her hands and her wool scarf had been tied around her ankle.

"That man in the red cloak did this." Alexa said firmly. "He must have…"

Emma nodded. "I have to agree, although I would like to know how he did it. Those chains were real enough, not some hallucination. And that weird light…"

Alexa hummed confusedly. "What light?"

"You must not have seen it." Emma concluded. "I saw it cause my head was tilted down to the ground, but there was some weird symbol on the ground. And it was glowing. I almost thought it was blacklight or something."

Alexa shook her head. She didn't see any light, but she wouldn't have been surprised if there was some. She was too focused on the man in the cloak to notice anything else. It unnerved her to realize how entranced she had been by his stare. She didn't know what had come over her! It was as if someone had shut down her body; she couldn't think at all. Her body wouldn't respond either.

"Let's…Let's see if we can find out where we are."

As the two women wandered though the strange land, this _Abyss_, Alexa's mind wandered as well. The words of the man kept playing in her head.

"We_ have spent a long time looking for you, my darling. It's time to come back, dear…"_

What did that man—or whatever group he was a part of—want with her? And what did they know about her? Alexa couldn't help but wonder if they might hold some key to those missing years when she was a child. And if they did, would they try to hold it over her? Alexa didn't like the idea of being manipulated like that. In fact, it made her furious.

_ Next time I see that freak, I'll make him tell me what he knows. Even if I have to beat him to a pulp first._

"You're worried about that guy, aren't you?" Alexa looked up in shock as she caught Emma's knowing grin. The woman always knew how to read Alexa like an open book. Sometimes they would joke that Emma had psychic powers and could read minds at will.

"I…I want to remember, Em." Alexa said quietly. "That man, he might know who I used to be. I want it, so badly, but I don't want to remember if it comes from some theater freak with throwing knives."

Emma laughed. "Well, anyone would feel that way if they were in your shoes…Look, Lexie. You'll get your memories back on your own good time, when you're ready. And that guy is bad news. If he's got some sort of master plan, and thinks he can use your memory to do it, he has another thing coming." Emma looked back at Alexa with fierce determination in her eyes.

"You are my sister, and nothing will change it." She proclaimed. "If someone is out to get you, you can count on me to protect you. But for now, let's focus on finding a way out of this place, okay?"

Alexa smiled warmly. No matter what, she could always count on her sister to have her back.

"Thanks Emmaline…"

"**Oh…What luck!" **The two women froze as the ground began to shake. **"A pair of tasty looking treats, just for me!"**

The surface of the water in front of them broke, sending s shower of water everywhere. As Alexa and Emma stumbled back, a creature rose out of the water, grinning deviously at them.

It towered over them, somewhere between 15 and 20 feet, with the appearance of some grotesque doll or puppet. The head was bulbous, made of some rough material and stitched together badly with a sewn up mouth. Two gaping holes formed a pair of cavernous eyes. Skeletal fingers peeked out of the sleeves of a tattered olive-green tunic. A bloody ruff circled its neck as it eyed the two hungrily.

"**It has been a while since my last meal,"** it mused. **"Be dears and hold still…"**

As its arms reached out, Emma exchanged a worried look with Alexa.

"Run?"

"Run."

"RUN!"

The creature leapt forward as the two took off screaming. Alexa yanked random objects out of the air and threw them at the creature in an attempt to shake it off their trail. Books and toys bounced harmlessly off its body as it laughed in a deranged cackle, clearly enjoying this game of chase. The scenery around her blurred as Alexa ran for her life.

"What is that thing?!" Emma shouted, dodging a bony hand.

"Hell if I know! Just keep running!" Alexa ordered. "Come on, this way!"

Not far of in the distance was a collection of rubble, crumbling buildings and absurd towers of toys jutting out of the water. A perfect hiding place.

Alexa pumped her legs as fast as they would go, ignoring the way her muscles burned and how her lungs felt as if they would pop. She couldn't pay the pain any attention, she had to run. She and Emma needed to make it to the buildings.

_ Almost there…Just a little more…!_

With a final burst of speed, Alexa grabbed her sister by the collar and made a mad dash for the rubble. Just as he legs were about to give out, she jumped behind a crumbling building, dragging Emma down with her as she crashed to the ground. The two wheezed from exhaustion and panic, feeling the adrenaline course through their bodies.

"Who…Who are you?" a young voice asked.

A pair of hands appeared in Alexa's line of sight and she jerked up, knocking heads with the person kneeling in front of her. Her hands flew to her head where the bruise on her forehead had been hit.

"Eh…?"

The voice belonged to that of a boy, 15 years of age. His clothing was in a similar state of ruin like Alexa and Emma's, but it was in a style she had never seen before. It was all obviously high quality materials, and the once pristine white design must have been beautiful before. The jacket trimmed with gold and green was now torn, tattered and stained with blood. Trousers were scuffed up and there was a hole in one of the knees. The silk scarf knotted around his neck was shredded beyond salvage. But his face…

It was like looking in a mirror. The boy's skin was a pale tan but perfectly healthy and unblemished. The messy hair framing his face was the same golden blonde as Alexa's. Even his eyes were the same emerald green. The two stared unbelievingly at each other, eyes wide and mouths agape.

"Who are you?" the boy asked again.

"We're…!"

The wall behind them crumbled as a hideous face loomed above the three. The creature had caught up with them.

"**Found you!"** it cackled. **"And my luck grows still; you've led me to an extra course!"** Before anyone could react, the creature's arms shot out, snatching both Alexa and the blonde-haired boy in its grip.

"Let me go!" Alexa struggled and squirmed in the monster's grip, kicking and screaming. Even as bony fingers curled and crushed around her torso she fought to escape. The boy clawed desperately at the fingers around his neck.

"No!" Emma rushed up and swung her wooden pole, putting all her weight into it. The wood splintered and shattered as it caught the creature's side. The monster, in retaliation, hissed and slammed its arm into the brunette. Emma was hurled backwards until she crashed into a broken bit of wall. Alexa and the boy cried out in distress.

"**Now, now, no need to be hasty, my dear,"** the monster chided. **"I will be with you in just a minute. Be patient while I enjoy these two tasty-looking snacks."**

Alexa struggled more frantically as the creature drew the boy closer to its mouth. The hand that gripped her was like iron as it threatened to crush her ribcage. If something didn't happen soon, they were all doomed! Where was a miracle when you needed one?!

_** BOOM!**_

Everything happened so quickly that Alexa nearly missed it. Suddenly the hand crushing her relaxed, and she slipped from its fingers with a startled gasp. She and the boy landed hard on the ground, arms clasped around their sore bodies as they watched on in amazement.

The creature now had a gapping hole in its side, ripped apart from some attack from behind. It writhed in pain and let out agonized shrieks as the body began to crumble away, drifting in the breeze like sand.

"**Oh…Oh!" **it wailed as more and more of its body crumbled away. **"How dare you, bastard B-Rabbit?!"**

As the last of the creature faded into oblivion, Alexa heard a feminine chuckle from behind. She started at the sound of approaching footsteps and whirred around. She winced at the stabbing pain in her abdomen, aching ribs protesting at the sudden movement.

A young girl walked up behind Emma, looking smug as she watched the creature vanish. Her hair was long and dark brown, with two thin braids among the long tresses. Her eyes were a sharp violet that didn't even register Alexa or the others. She wore a long red-and-white jacket, billowing out at the waist and revealing a short brown skirt underneath. Knee-high boots and gloves were white and Alexa noticed small gold charms dangling that the ends of her braids.

"A card shouldn't be butting in." she grumbled. "That's _my _prey!"

* * *

**Enter: Alice and Oz! well, at least things are getting right down to the plot, right? which means all the crazy fun is coming up soon. How will the Montgomery girls handle the appearance of a chain like Alice? Will the B-Rabbit be the key to getting out of the Abyss? All these answers and more, coming up soon in the next chapter: A Bloody Black Rabbit and a Duke-to-be!**

**Read and review and let me know what you think okay?**

**Bye!**


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